Misery County

Chapter 5 - Part 2

Eric had opened the curtains, and there were certainly windows behind them, but they were letting in absolutely no light. "Are these painted black?" he asked.

"If you have to ask, you're more hungover than either of us thought."

"OK, but... why?"

"I work at any time of the day or night, so it helps to be able to sleep whenever I need to without sunlight to keep me up."

"I thought you said you didn't sleep." Eric was examining the paint on the window very closely, but it was hard to make out details in the dark.

"That's crazy, Eric. Who doesn't sleep?"

He was about to challenge her, but as he turned around and their eyes met, his resolve dissipated, and he felt a numbing relaxation instead. Even in this near-absence of light, her violet eyes were magical.

"Tell me about your burdens, Eric," Nevena said, her voice resonating around the dark bedroom.

As Eric processed her words, he felt a tingling sensation run from the top of his forehead, along his brain, and down his spine. Perhaps that was why he answered honestly.

"It just feels like it never ends," he confided. "What I do is important, but I never really get to see the results." Stop talking. Stop talking. That's not the kind of information that needs to be getting out.

"It seems like you don't enjoy doing what you do." Nevena's eyes were digging down to his very soul.

"No, I don't. And do you want to know why?" Stop talking. "Do you want to know what kills me the most?" Don't say anything. "I'll tell you why I do what I do. I –"

Eric was interrupted by his ringtone – someone was calling. He broke eye contact with Nevena to look at his phone, and as he did, he felt a cold shower wash over his thoughts. He was about to spill the beans, and for what? A pair of violet eyes? Someone he barely knew? What was he thinking? It didn't matter. He was thinking clearly now.

He walked over to his phone, it shining and flashing like a bright beacon in a dark cave. Nevena was already leaning over the bedside table and looking at the screen.

"Cassie, huh?" she scoffed. "I hope you're not two-timing me."

"It's nothing like that," Eric responded vacantly, eyes fixed firmly on his phone as he picked it up. "Just an old friend. Excuse me."

He answered the phone and began walking toward the hallway. "Hey, Cassie, what's up?" he said, a hand turning the doorknob and pulling the door open. How bizarre, he thought. The hallway was just as dark as the bedroom. Were all the windows in this house blacked out?